Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - "The Bitter End"

Spartacus' lone big misstep for its final episode of the season was its title. I get it, it works on a certain level, but when I think of a finale and "bitter" I think of fan reaction to the final episode of Lost. Not good.

Otherwise, "The Bitter End" was surprisingly satisfying. After last week's episode I wondered what ground was left for the show to cover, since most of the storylines had come to a climax and three major characters had already died. Spartacus' solution: have everyone fight each other for most of the episode. Good call. Compared to Blood and Sand, Gods of the Arena was curiously light on gladiator battles. Fortunately, the entire third act takes place in Capua's new arena and provides us with the CGI-blood spurting action we know and love. We also get more epic crowd shots, which means those of us playing Spartacus Bingo can finally mark down "people having sex among the spectators." Like all of the series' big action set-pieces, it's a pulse-pounding, over-the-top, tremendously scored and edited spectacle and an excellent high note to end the prequel with. Gannicus' big kill was pretty disgusting too, and the one gladiator being immolated was satisfyingly predictable.

And how about Gannicus winning his freedom? Good for him. Even though it was a ploy by Solonius to undermine Batiatus, Gannicus certainly deserved it, and not only because of his prowess in the arena. He's one of the few decent characters in Spartacus, and although he did go behind Oenomaus' back by boning his wife, he tried to remove himself from the ludus so it wouldn't happen again. Early in the episode, Batiatus says something to the effect of that his House is built on the foundation of honor, which of course is a complete lie. The most honorable characters are usually the slaves, and Gannicus is one of the better ones. Spartacus usually doesn't allow a decent character to get the fate he or she deserves, so Gannicus' sendoff was refreshing.

On the douchier end of the ludus, Batiatus continues the slow process of digging his own grave. Tullius is dead and Vettius is run out of town, but Solonius has finally had enough of Batiatus' shit and completes a full-blown heel turn. We all knew it was coming, but it was deserved and actually pretty awesome. Nothing is better than seeing Batiatus helpless while backed into a corner. Unless it's Batiatus being blind with rage. Or Batiatus... okay, anything he does is amazing, but backstabbing and mind games are surefire ingredients for a good time.

The rest of the episode is filling in the blanks. Hey, that's how Ashur injured his leg! That's why Crixus cut his hair! Gee, Barca really was only ever around for the gay sex scenes! And so forth. Plus, Gannicus and Vettius have their exits so they can return for the true second season of Spartacus, and that's that.

That's that for Gods of the Arena, too. It was a prequel series, so it was by nature limited in what it could accomplish. Being half as long as Blood and Sand didn't help it either, since the newer characters didn't get a chance to have strong arcs. But there was blood, nudity, cursing, and backstabbing. It didn't reach the delirious highs of Blood and Sand, but it didn't have the low points either. Even an average episode of Spartacus is nothing like anything else on television. I can live with that. Gratitude.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - "Reckoning"

Spartacus has never been afraid to shock and surprise the viewer by killing off major characters or by introducing stunning plot twists. "Reckoning," the next-to-last episode of the prequel series, does not disappoint. TItus? Dead. Melitta? Dead. Gannicus? On his way to Tullius' stable of gladiators. Crixus? The new big dog at the House of Batiatus.

So... where do we go from here?

Sure, there are a few loose ends to tie up. There's no way that Oenomaus doesn't find out about Melitta's mini-affair with Gannicus, or at least that she was visiting him at the time of her death. Tullius is still an asshole, and Lucretia is in the middle of framing him for the death of her father-in-law. Ashur isn't hobbling. But it's all small potatoes. With Titus out of the way, Batiatus can run the ludus the way he wants to. He doesn't have to leave Capua, and he can stay married to Lucretia. He's just lost Gannicus to his arch enemy, but given Crixus' rise, he probably won't lose much sleep over the deal. The penultimate episode of Blood and Sand built to a frenzied climax and carried major implications for the finale. When Spartacus said "There is but one path... we kill them all," it sure as hell made you want to tune in to the last episode. The foreplay was over and the climax was within tantalizing reach. "Reckoning," however, promises no such climax. Spartacus isn't a show based on strong character moments. A dramatic confrontation between Gannicus and Oenomaus regarding Melitta and the shattering of the friendship between Batiatus and Solonius aren't exactly the types of showdowns I'm looking forward to. Capua's new arena needs christening, so the finale probably won't be free of bone-shattering action, but it will be free of any personal investment.

While disappointing, "Reckoning" wasn't a total waste of an episode. John Hannah and Lucy Lawless are good actors playing good characters, and they're a genuine pleasure to watch. They're overly ambitious, untrustworthy, backstabbing serpents and thus perfect for each other. It's even oddly romantic that they're willing to destroy lives for each other. Aww. Nick Tarabay continues to be entertainingly callous as Ashur, and if Dagan busts his leg up before being sent to the mines, I'll be a happy camper. There's the rare Spartacus feat of thematic depth, as Lucretia learns for the first time - but certainly not the last - upon Melitta's accidental death that the best laid plans always go awry. It's even a little sad to see Lucretia's first reluctant dalliance with Crixus (seriously, Lucy Lawless is a good actress).

I don't ask for much with Spartacus. It doesn't take much skill to show some boobs and decapitations every episode. But solid plotting is hard to come by and Spartacus has excelled at it in ways other genre shows haven't. The series has one episode to redeem itself before a long hiatus. Let's hope it delivers.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - "Beneath the Mask"

Ancient Rome meets John Hughes in this week's Spartacus. Batiatus wants to hold a party at the ludus so he takes his father away for the night, and hijinks ensue! I'll grant that in your average teenage comedy there's a little fooling around in a closet instead of a massive orgy, and nobody's head gets bashed in at the end of the night. Otherwise, this was totally Weird Capuan Science.

Why not? High school, like Roman society, is a caste system. Batiatus wants to eat lunch with the popular kids, and he's trying to gain favor by turning the ludus into a Bunny Ranch. Unfortunately, now he's becoming more known for the sexual exploits of his slaves rather than their prowess in the arena. He's dead set on getting Gannicus into the primus of the upcoming games by any means necessary, though, so his hands are tied. Hosting an orgy is the next logical step.

In my mind, it's Batiatus' way of going big or going home. Word of his house's delights is spreading among Capua's elite quicker than he expected, so it makes sense to satiate everyone's hunger all at once instead of one by one.

But like any big illicit party in a high school comedy, there's always the one uninvited guest who ruins everything. In this case, it's Tullius. And not only that, he was invited by Solonius, for reasons I couldn't quite understand, but I'm assuming are a mix of Solonius miffed at playing babysitter at the party in Batiatus' place, trying to reverse the downward spiral of the ludus, and currying favor with Tullius. Like any good villain, Tullius is single-minded in his pursuits. He doesn't want to drink or screw, he just wants to bring the House of Batiatus down. If that means embarrassing Gannicus in an "exhibition" of fighting skills, that's great. If it means killing Gaia to send a message, even better (Jaime Murray exits the series too early, but bless her heart she got topless in all of her episodes).

Thus we get one of Sparatcus' beloved webs of hate. Tullius hates Batiatus and Lucretia, they hate him back, but Titus wants to ally himself with Tullius so now Batiatus and Lucretia are pissed at him too. In the last episode it seemed a foregone conclusion that Batiatus would commit patricide, now it looks like a footrace between him and Lucretia to see who will kill Titus first - if they don't gang up on him, of course. If there's one thing Spartacus excels at, it's capturing pent-up rage churning into vengeance in overblown fashion, and the final scene with Lucretia was very satisfying.

Elsewhere in the ludus: Gannicus can't hold back his feelings for Melitta, Crixus tries to make nice with Barca, Ashur is a prick, and Oenomaus is slowly learning to throw his weight around (and conversely, how to take orders from his superiors whether he likes them or not). The downstairs action isn't necessarily boring, especially when Ashur is involved, but the upstairs action is far more compelling. Batiatus, by Spartacus standards, is a fully fleshed-out character; we know why he's an arrogant bastard. Why makes Gannicus tick? So many of Gods of the Arena's storylines seem preordained; only his has the chance of surprising come the finale.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena: "Paterfamilias"

Quintus' tenure as lanista for the House of Batiatus is experiencing some growing pains.

The Assyrians haven't truly earned the mark of the brotherhood, so the rest of the gladiators don't accept them. Oenomaus isn't comfortable commanding the men who were so recently his equals, limiting his power as Doctore (he can't even crack the whip yet). Crixus is still green. And all of the devious back-door dealings are slowly unraveling.

In fact, it's hard to decide which of the developments in "Paterfamilias" is going to be a bigger thorn in everyone's side.

One is the return of Quintus' father, the titular "Paterfamilias." Titus Batiatus has credentials, he's bona-fide, and the first thing he does upon returning to Capua is walking in on his son cavorting with Lucretia and Gaia (Jaime Murray is now 3/3 for nude scenes!). He's a hard-assed, unforgiving father straight out of Lost and he isn't taking a shine to how Quintus is running things in his absence. He's so disappointed, in fact, that he immediately goes to smooth things over with Tullius and Vettius, removing Gannicus from the primus in the process. It's an act that gets Titus immediate heat - Batiatus is a slimeball, but Tullius and Vettius don't deserve apologies.

Maybe it's a good thing that Titus dragged Batiatus from the ludus for that meeting, because he misses the episode's other big development. Varus returns to the ludus, bringing his pal Cossutius with him. Cossutius heard of the show Gannicus and Melitta put on, and now he wants part of the action. Batiatus has yet to learn the slippery slope of lessening one's standards. Once you whore out two of your slaves, you've got to whore all of them out. It's up to Lucretia to play damage control, and that's how poor young Diona loses her virginity to an unwashed gladiator - and simultaneously loses another kind of virginity to Cossutius. If any of you had a DP scene on your Spartacus bingo card, mark it down!

Things don't turn out too badly for Batiatus in the end, though. Varus spares the life of one of his gladiators, thanks to his hospitality, and Crixus proves his worth in the arena. Even Titus can't help but show some approval for his son. But that doesn't mean that Batiatus won't inevitably kill him a few episodes down the road, as the ending intentionally foreshadows.

"Paterfamilias" wasn't a bad episode but it was more devoted to introducing and advancing storylines than deepening characters or doing awesome things for the sake of awesomeness (compared to the season premiere, the fights in the arena were pretty weak). We're halfway though the season and the endgame is still a tad ambiguous. The climax of Gods of the Arena can't be too earth-shattering, since we already know where most of these characters will be five years later. Gannicus is the presumed centerpiece of the prequel but we still know little about his character. The brilliance of Blood and Sand was how in its final third, it took upwards of eight episodes worth of plotting and brought everything together. Gods of the Arena only has six episodes to work with, period. The clock is ticking.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena: "Past Transgressions"

Spartacus: Blood and Sand was the worst best show of 2010. Its conceit was wholly unoriginal (300 + Gladiator + Caligula). There was little character development to speak of, and that which did happen was laughable. Per the budget of a third-tier premium cable network, it was obviously shot on the cheap. But like a nightclub frequented by SNL's Stefon, this show had everything: penis candles, decapitations, abundant nudity, grudge sex, crucifixions, and statutory rape. That's just skimming the surface, incidentally. Although the show was purely plot-driven, it weaved storylines together brilliantly. The trump card was John Hannah's performance as Batiatus, the scheming, social climbing head of the ludus (gladiator school) who chewed scenery and spit out overwrought profanity with aplomb (the supporting cast as a whole was quite excellent, actually).

Spartacus was also a minor surprise hit, with the finale attracting nearly double the viewers of the premiere. Although most critics shrugged the series off after its admittedly choppy first episodes, those who stuck with it were generally enthusiastic. Unfortunately, Spartacus himself, Andy Whitfield, developed a lingering case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Not wanting to lose the show's momentum, Starz decided to produce a six-episode prequel series documenting Batiatus' rise and fleshing out the backstories of the other supporting characters.

The networked hoped that Whitfield could recover from cancer with enough time to film the follow-up to Blood and Sand this year. Sadly, the cancer returned. With Whitfield's blessing, Starz recast the role. While I wish no ill will towards Whitfield, he was the weak link in the cast and his absence is probably to Spartacus' benefit. The characters in Gods of the Arena are far more interesting; the actors more talented.

Enough backstory. On with the review.

Casting spoilers to the wind, "Past Transgressions" opens with a montage of events that happened in Blood and Sand, most of which occurred in the final episode, and chiefly among them Batiatus' death (the montage is also notable as perhaps one of the few "previouslies" that is actually a "consequently"). Those who tuned into GotA with no prior knowledge of the series may be dismayed to learn a character's fate so quickly, but the reveal makes sense. Rest assured, he gets what he deserves. For veterans of the show, the following ten minutes pack in everything they loved about the first season: nonstop profanity, lurid violence, full frontal nudity, and scandalous depictions of everyday Roman life.

From there, the show goes about its considerable place-setting, introducing the multiple plotlines that will encompass GotA if not the series at large. Capua is a city on the rise, and Batiatus seeks to step out of his father's shadow and make a name for himself within it (he's also good friends with future rival Suetonius, who once again sports the douchiest hairstyle in all of the Roman Republic). Batiatus' prized gladiator is a hotshot named Gannicus, Crixus is a newly-purchased trainee, Ahsur walks without a limp, and Oenomaus has not yet assumed the mantle of Doctore. Meanwhile, one of Lucretia's typically slutty friends is back in town, fresh off a dead husband, and will be staying at the ludus for a while.

Seeing the familiar faces in unfamiliar positions is interesting enough, but it's the new blood that provides the most intrigue. The primary antagonists, Capuan bigwig Tullius and rival lanista Vettius, aren't around for Blood and Sand, and it would surprise nobody if both died due to Batiatus' machinations (Batiatus' infirm father is referred to but not seen, and it would be a bigger surprise if Batiatus doesn't eventually kill him). The biggest name in the new cast is Jaime Murray as Lucretia's friend Gaia. Murray was Lila in the second season of Dexter, and she's a perfect fit in Spartacus given her character's penchant for toplessness. Gaia will be appreciated the most by people who liked Paz de la Huerta in Boardwalk Empire but thought she didn't get naked enough, and it's a wonder that she nearly stays clothed throughout the entire episode.

The most notable new character is Dustin Clare's Gannicus, the "star" of Batiatus' ludus and given his placement in the show's marketing, not to mention how he looks shirtless compared to John Hannah, the star of the show. He's a hotshot gladiator who one-ups Crixus and Spartacus at their cockiest. He spends most of the premiere fighting, drinking, and screwing, so we don't have a good feel of what makes him tick yet. But a scene between him and Oenomaus is cleverly ambiguous - is he reckless, or genuinely suicidal? Either quality is, in some respects, necessary to be a gladiator. His fate is similarly up in the air. Perhaps Crixus' rises to prominence while he falls from favor, or perhaps he moves on to the "big leagues" in Rome, if such an achievement would realistically happen back then. I'll say this, though: don't Google him if you don't want a hint of his fate.

"Past Transgressions" is predictably heavy on exposition. It's not an unsatisfying episode but one wishes that there weren't so many pieces to put into position. Then again, the same could be said for the first episode of any season of The Wire. The bone-crushing violence still delivers, especially in the climactic marketplace brawl. The soap opera plotting hasn't skipped a beat. But best of all, it's good to see John Hannah back. Just hearing him curse brings a smile to my face. Even if Gods of the Arena can't match Blood and Sand's highs, the show will still have the best Villain You Love to Hate currently on television.